Passion for the Goal

It was one of those days.  I was liking so much of what I was hearing on tv.  Two shows I watched and loved what was said.  The first was Anna Meares talking about something I am passionate about and that is passion.  The second was an AIDS special where one catch phrase used, I thought was really good.  “Putting the last mile first.”
I thought at the time I could write about that.  There were two things so I thought I can write about both.  So that is the way I am going.
I did not know much about Anna Meares but learned she is the greatest Olympic track cyclist ever.  She has an accident that was within 2 mm of severing her spine.  She won gold in London.  She had a great relationship with her coach.  I found it amazing how winning was achieved.  She knew to win she needed to beat one person who was the reigning best.  So she and her coach watched 300 hours of video of her main competitor.  Those hours were turned into statistics, and they saw that when her competitor raced from the back her win ration lessened.  They learned a new move where she made her bike stay still.  Her competitor who was behind did not expect that and went to the front and Anna beat her.
But it was her talking about her passion for the sport that got me.  I am a great believer in passion.  Not just doing something because I have to but because I want to.  It is me.  When left to my own devices it is the way I am.
I look for passion.  It is mostly easy to spot in someone.  When they have it things are just done.  There is no need to finish their job because they finish it and more.  The person does not disappear the moment something gets tough but sees it through because it is who they are.
The line in the AIDS special dovetails in with that.  Putting the last mile first.
To me that speaks of having the goal front and centre.  So often when things get hard the goal is abandoned.  It was a good thought which proves to be no more than a wish and not an overwhelming desire.
I have found it is inevitable that things get tough.  It does not matter if I am doing something because I have to or want to.  There are a number of factors that may dissuade me from something but for me passion is one of the chief reasons I stick with something.
It is remembering the goal.  Putting the last mile first.  Things may be hard right now, but the goal is totally worth it.  As I heard somewhere the hard times make me strong.  Difficulties increase strength.  While I would prefer in many ways not to have them, I must acknowledge they do me good.  Overcoming the first difficulty means the second difficulty does not seem so difficult.  What I learn in the first helps with the second.
Having passion and putting the last mile first means I am in something for the long hall.  I see what is possible and it is what I want.